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Jupiter’s Moons
Jupiter has at least 61 moons. Most are very
small.
The first 4 moons of Jupiter were discovered by
Galileo and are thus called the Galilean moons.
They are large, about the size of the Earth’s
Moon.
These and four more smaller moons all orbit in
the same direction as Jupiter spins.
These 8 moons all probably formed with Jupiter
like a Solar System in miniature.
Four more small moons orbit farther out,
orbiting in the opposite direction were
discovered before 1970, bringing the total to
12.
In 1979 the Voyager space probe discovered 4
small irregularly shaped moons orbiting close
to Jupiter.
They are probably the source of the material for
Jupiter’s rings.
Since 1999 45 more smaller moons were
discovered orbiting far from Jupiter and are
either captured asteroids or the result of
collisions.
Galilean Moons
The Galilean moons come in two types:
1. The Inner ones, Io and Europa are
rocky like the inner planets.
2. The outer ones, Ganymede and
Callisto are made of lighter Icy
materials.
This is consistent with the mini-solar
system formation theory
IO
Io is the Galilean moon closest to
Jupiter. It is just a little larger
than Earth’s Moon.
The Gravity of Jupiter and Europa
play tug-o-war with Io heating
its interior.
This makes Io the most
volcanically active object in the
solar system.
Volcanoes have even been
observed erupting!
Its surface is pocked with volcanoes and colored
black, white, blue, yellow, orange and red sulfur compounds
from the eruptions
The largest volcano is taller than Mount Everest
and larger than New Jersey!
Io orbits in Jupiter’s magnetic field generating
up to 2 trillion watts of electricity in the Io
flux Tube to Jupiter, and further heating IO’s
interior.
Europa
Like Io Europa’s interior
structure is similar to Earth’s
The tug-a-war between the
Gravity of Jupiter and
Ganymede heats its interior.
Its surface is water ice that has
cracked, built pressure ridges.
This is evidence of a an ocean
of water beneath the surface
kept liquid by the internal
heat
In which there may be life!
Geysers of water ice…like water volcanoes
have coated the surface with white “snow”
Plans have been made to pierce the surface ice
with an impact probe causing a Geyser so
that the water beneath can be analyzed.
More ambitious is a plan to pierce the surface
and launch a submersible!
Europa is just a little smaller than Earth’s
moon.
Ganymede
Ganymede is the largest of
Jupiter’s Moons is also the
largest in the Solar System
Larger than Mercury!
It is an icy version of our
Moon.
Its craters look white like
when you poke a chunk of
ice with an ice pick
Callisto
Callisto is smaller icier version
of Ganymede about the size
of Mercury.
It is the third largest Moon in
the Solar System.
It is covered in white ice
craters.
It is covered in ice that may
have liquid water beneath it.